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Speaking up for samplers

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SCMP Reporter

If the club culture experts are to be believed, some dance music genres are on the way out and clubbers are hunting for the latest beat-heavy hype.

It is a scenario with which DJ Aphrodite is well familiar. The music that he has been pushing, drum-and-bass, allegedly has been on the decline for the past year.

Aphrodite, whose real name is Gavin King, was in Hong Kong last week to spin at promoter Cloud 9's event at Hardy's II. King is behind such dance floor favourites as King Of The Beats and Woman That Rolls. He believes that his presence is enough to indicate that drum-and-bass is as strong as it ever has been.

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He feels that the opinions are poorly based, especially those expressed by the British media.

'Every year, normally around March, drum-and-bass dies. I think half of those media people never actually go out themselves and have fun. They sit down and think, 'what should we write about this week? Drum-and-bass, anything new? No? It's dead then',' King says.

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'The whole scene has developed into something more than just a collection of drum-and-bass tunes, it's a whole collection of different styles.' King, who recently released his debut full-length album, a self-titled collection of previously released singles and new material, is impressed by the present variety of sounds within the drum-and-bass industry. His particular style - 'Jump Up' - caters to the dance floor, he says.

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